Being the big Girl

Everything was beautifully blended with the pitch-black rocks and the smoky fog. Too dark to even see past a few buildings, when walking down Dark Valley. A few black wolves walked in front, checking every corner, looking out for their master. By looking at their eyes only, it's easy to say that they were hungry. Hunger for blood. Behind the wolves, a tall man wearing a black robe walked fast. His walk itself shouted confidence and power. He's already late for the meeting; though he'd like to think that one is never late for an event when they're the King; everyone's just simply too eager to meet him.

The storm had taken much more time than he thought it would, and sorting out everything with that team delayed him, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Open the gates," he lowly said to one of the wolves. The main hall came into view with only a few streetlights illuminate the beauty. The palace lingered around the background in the cold night. No light were turned on in that building to symbolize the night to give respect for the dead ones.

He never understood why the buildings had to be designed and colored, all that mattered was that it should be big. Big enough to hold the whole population of the city, big enough to make him satisfied for being the most dangerous man on earth.

The wolf trotted down fast, not wanting to upset his master and whined at the guards in charge of the gates. The guards seem to understand and hurriedly opened the metaled barrier, dropping anything they had in their hands before. They knew what'd happened to the previous guard, when he was late to opening the gates.

Soon, the sickly handsome man walked pass letting the guards know the close behind, to which they nodded and bowed. The fog cleared up as he walked, as if giving him a path to the entrance of the main hall. The door was open, and he could hear the men inside talking about the storm and laughing, not worried of their future punishments. The man growled animal-like and stomped his feet as he walked into the brightly lit hall.

There were men and women occupied on each chair except for the head. They sat at the long table, that was filled with colorful and delicious food, but no one has touched anything at all, they wouldn't dare. Each person had a lady standing behind, their heads bowed and hands held together in front. The place looked as if it was holding a very posh but strict dinner; with men wearing expensive suits and the women showing their beauty with gorgeous, body length dresses.

Once the man entered the room, everyone quietened down. The ladies standing behind, bowed to him and the man sitting to the right of the empty chair stood up.

"My King, please, join us on this very special day." He said getting out of his chair and pulling the main seat. The gloomy looking King paused for a second, scaring everyone, but soon seated himself where the man had told. Everyone was seated in their places and when the King sat down, everyone stood.

Some of them bowed while some just stood, with a smirk on their faces. The King with the long robe flicked his hand at them and they slowly sat back down. The quietness rang through the large room and if someone was to look closely at the chandelier, they'd notice it turn on and off.

"What were you all chatting so fondly about?" He voice was too deep. So deep, the people around him at the table shook visibly.

"N-nothing important, my King," the same man spoke, fidgeting on his seat for being so near the guy.

"I know, if it's not important, it does not need to be spoken about." He scolded to which everyone bowed and shook in submission. "The war has only begun, there's no need to chat about it. The only thing that you all need to open your mouth, is to speak of the war and give out your thoughts on the attacks! You are not even allowed to speak of the plans at all. Understood?!"

Everyone nodded, clearly embarrassed that they'd disappointed their leader.

"Now," the King continued. "As we all know, the storm was held on our favor and it brought more damage than we'd all thought. It's a good thing that we were allies with them, or we'd be drowned as well without their defense walls. Apart from that, this is the perfect time to start our plan and capture as many property as we can. Of course, that's not the main reason to why we going through these procedures. We'd found King Jeramy's hide out and during the storm, we'd been able to capture him. But, he'd been alone and that worthless piece of meat didn't open his mouth to utter anything useful for us.

"What I'm trying to say is, we need to find his daughter. She's out there, running around in the open. We need to find her and bring her back home. Once she's with me, we'll finally have all the things that we'd wished for. Remember, when you search for the girl, she must not be harmed or hurt. She's very important, and pure; hopefully. Her father wasn't the most noble man before he met his queen…" A few snickers were echoed around the room until it was silent again.

"Luke," the King addressed the man on his left and the man stood up hesitant, bowing. The King didn't speak of how the man's eyes turned red with annoyance. "I want you to check the towns King Jeramy was visiting during these past four years. If you find the girl, bring her back without speaking anything to her."

"How would we know if it's her or not?" The man-Luke, didn't stutter like the others when he made eye contact with the King.

"You'll know when you smell that disgusting man's scent on her. She's his daughter, the only one. She'd either smell like him, or you'd know by her personality and power. Now, let's eat and toast, for the death of the previous King Jeramy, because only now do I feel complete in my position. Cheers."

Everyone in the room raised their glasses and applauded together before waiting for the main man to drink his first sip. Once he has, the rest started theirs, quietly stuffing themselves, since they were not allowed to speak of anything unimportant.

Susan Walter, Malick's wife, came and checked on Grace that morning and so did Charlotte. She apologized for what happened but Grace couldn't help but get angry that she had. It wasn't her friend's fault that her father died, it was all on the weather. Grace wished her father had a soft death, but she knew that wasn't true. Just wondering how he might've lost to Mother Nature made her angry. She felt her arms start to sweat as her fingers grabbed on the bench top, squeezing them as hard as possible.

"Grace?" Charlotte's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I know that you're not ready to move on, so am I. But, we need to go. Get everything we need back from home because Susan is making us both stay with her until everything is back to normal."

Grace stayed silent for a minute before slowly hopping off the stool. She knew that nothing would ever be back to normal with her father gone. Grace shoved the cake tray into the sink before following Charlotte out of the warm shop.

Outside, the line for writing the names of the lost ones was shorter than before and many of them were walking back to the house for lunch or to just find what's left of the buildings. Grace didn't write her father's name since he wasn't a current resident of the town but she stopped at the other line that was led by Lucas. He only had one more person lined up and a paper in hand. She ignored her friend's call and walked up to him.

"Lucas," she grabbed his attention. He looked up just as another boy, who looked like a high school student, walked away.

"Hi Grace," he gave her a small smile before going back to counting his list. He looked younger than the last time she had talked to him which made her smile inside. The man's looks never seem to exceed from the age of late twenties. Grace sometimes wondered how he looked like her schoolmates when he exceeded her father's age. He's been around since Grace was born but never socialize with the town and never talked about a lady in particular. Grace couldn't do it herself since she'd eyed a few boys back in school but wonder how this good-looking man did so.

Grace noticed that Lucas only had about ten people's names.

"How is your house doing? After the storm and all." She nodded not knowing what to say to that bad conversation starter.

"Need another name to make you feel better?"

"Um, if you want to." He gave her a sheepish smile. "I would recommend not to, but it's your choice. I wouldn't expect anyone to force themselves into the rescue team after what happened."

The wretched adult shrugged before grabbing the pen out of his hand and scribbling 'Grace Walter' on it. She dropped to pen and shoved her hands back into the pockets of her dirtied, dark blue jumper.

"Malick's not going to be happy about this…" Lucas muttered, frowning along with Grace.

Grace bit her top lip, deep in thought before bouncing on her toes. "I'm sure you can talk it through with him. I mean, you're his favorite employee."

Lucas chuckled before shaking his head at the girl. "No I'm not; Ryne is. that girl can never let me be first."

Grace shrugged in return. She knew the bakery well, it was one of the places that she decided as home when she was in high school. Not only was it close to school, it also had free cakes and desserts personally made by Malick.

"Be back at the bakery at eight tonight then." Lucas muttered with a worried look, his little wrinkles on the forehead reminding her that he's getting old.

Charlotte and Grace walked back in silence until they reached what's left of their home. Grace could still hear the thundering sound of her roof top falling onto the first floor on the fourth night of the event. She had thanked the god for making her stay in the dining room near the kitchen.

Charlotte promised to accompany Grace for the night and made her way into her home. The black haired girl, made her way into her own house and recognized that it looked new in the worst way. The place was trashed and she wondered how she'd stayed the whole week on the ground floor. She made her way into the large kitchen to grab any food left and rushed into the dining room. Tables was scattered in the way as she pushed inside and took the things that she might need, a flashlight was a good start. Her phone was smashed into pieces and was on the floor near the door, it was Grace's who'd thrown it when her dad hadn't answered the calls.

Once out of the room that kept her safe, Grace slowly balanced herself as she climbed the wet stairs; she wanted to see how disastrous the place had turned into. Once she reached the top, she noticed that only half of the house was broken and her bedroom was safe on the other. Only her room and her parent's room was in one piece will her sister's old rooms looked trashed.

There was a mini flood inside the house as Grace skipped through them, not wanting to get her shoes wet. Once she was at the core of her room, she realized that her chamber was ruined by the a tree, that was crashed through the window.

She didn't waste any time as she rushed to grab some clothes that she'd be comfortable with and a bag to carry everything. She didn't feel comfortable showering with an open hole in the room, so she skipped that as she waited for Charlotte outside. The said girl, came out with new clothes on and a mini bag hung across her shoulders. She also had a travel bag that looked as if it was going to burst any moment. Grace rolled her eyes at how she was still the same diva-girl back in high school. Again, Grace noticed the bruised arm and the bloodshot eyes.

They made their way back to the bakery, because the owner and his wife lived behind through the back doors. The said couple already had lunch set out with the things they had left, but it was a lot: the plates were filled with different types of meat recipes know to mankind. When the girls asked Susan why, she had said that the baby needed all the food it can get. Grace showered in the very small bathroom downstairs since the upper floor was destroy by the wind. She got herself into black track-pants and plain, white blouse that hung onto her curvy body. She didn't bother taking anything related to her job except for her name tag that gave access to the building that she's pretty sure now is no more. Grace finished her project that night, under all the crashes and screams. She wasn't able to send it though and her laptop died the next morning. Grace dared not to plug the charger into the socket.

Grace shoved the tag into her front pockets of the pants, the blue ribbon hanging out and let her wavy, long, black hair down so it could dry. Walking into the hall, she noticed that Susan was giving Charlotte tips on what to do when she gets the cravings, if she gets them. They told Grace to rest once they saw her enter, but she shook her head, seating herself near the window in the living room that viewed the roads-one of the perks of having a corner house. The sky looked clear, as if there was no storm for the past few days. Nature looked calm and it almost made Grace spit in disbelief. She let herself fly through the thoughts that came into her head and realized that maybe she should've not done that.

Memories of a man who brought her into the tough world made her vision of the reality blur. She wiped the tears with the back of her hand and pulled her legs on the seat, hugging it like her life depended on it. She felt a hand pat her back and leaned into the touch, letting out silent tears.

The girl didn't know how long she had stayed like that with Susan standing behind and the necklace in her arms, but the sky outside was starting to darken again. For a quick second, she had thought that it was the storm again, but then noticed that the day was just ending. Which also meant that she had to head to the bakery soon to meet Lucas.

"I have to go," Grace informed her aunt as she stood up. Her butt had gone stiff from sitting for more than three hours, and she could feel pins pierce her legs as she stepped down from the stool.

"Where are you going at this time?" She asked, helping her stand. "You do know that you're staying here from now on, right?"

Grace nodded, "Lucas told me to be there tonight."

"What? Why would he say that?" She asked frowning. "That meeting is only for those who signed up." Her eyes widened and Grace was sure that the lady could pass for owl eyes. "Don't tell me that you signed up?" Grace gave her a small smile. "Oh my child, why did you do that? You're not stable!" She gave her a worried glance before pulling her away from the doorway. "You don't have to go. I'm sure I can talk to Malick and he would understand."

"No aunty Susan." Grace spoke firmly, pulling away from her grasp. "I want to know what's going on around us. I lost my father, and I-I didn't even get to say goodbye. I haven't talk to mum because I'm scared of how she might react to me. I want to know if this will ever happen again or not. I'm not ready to loose anyone else."

Susan glanced away, thinking in her head before nodding to her niece. "Okay, do whatever you want. But don't get yourself into trouble. I want you to be safe. You're like the daughter that I never had."

Grace nodded, hugging her aunt as she made her way into the guest room to wake Charlotte. "Hey, Charlotte, I'm going out to the meeting, want to come?"

She agreed and got dressed into a yellow sundress, which didn't go well with the situation. The pair of companions left the house section, saying farewell to Susan as they entered the shop from the backdoor. Malick was already there, planning something with Lucas and Ryne. He had a few people that worked in the bakery and other stores around the town but Grace couldn't point and name the others. She scanned the room to find Fred sitting on the stool near by, sipping on a drink. There were a few others standing near by, either talking or silently waiting for the meeting to start.

When the retired solider saw Grace, he ushered her over to the group. "Why haven't you started?"

He nodded over to the others, "not all of them are here. We still need two more to come." Grace nodded back and turned to Fred. Charlotte stayed with Ryne as they chatted up like they've been close friends.

"Hey," Grace started. "How are you holding up?"

Fred shrugged, and kept on doing his work. Okay. Grace turned to converse with someone else when he gave out a sigh. "Not well, if that's the answer you're expecting."

"I was expecting your feelings."

"Well, I'm more nervous about what we're going to find in the mountains." He didn't quieten his voice when he said 'the mountains' like she'd thought he would've said. He didn't seem distracted by the word at all. All the juvenile was gone and was replaced by a depressed man. "What I saw," he turned to see her reaction and she just gave him a curious look. He frowned a little and she frowned back. Then, he slowly turned back to his drink. "What I saw, I know it's real, but I feel as if it was something else from what I actually saw. For a second, I was sure of it, and then, it changed. And then changed and changed again. I couldn't stay there and watch to find out."

Grace nodded, as if she was silently telling him, she understood. But, she didn't. Has he gone mad? Or is whatever he's saying true?

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the sound of chains jiggling together stopped everyone from their talk and turn towards the entrance. Two figures walked inside. One was merely a teenager and the other was Mathew Johnson. Grace couldn't believe her eyes on it. What was he doing here? The last time she'd heard about him, some girls at the city spa -who were from the same high school- had talked about him moving to London. And that was three years ago.

"Sorry we're late." He spoke. Wow, Grace couldn't stop herself from comparing to how he sounded before and after high school. She almost couldn't recognize him with a small beard and the light skin. He's changed.

The messed-up hairstyle now was combed back, a few black strands poking out from the brown mop of hair. His eyes looked the same, though tired and his face was whiter; paler. He's taller and more bulky indicating that he's been working out. Overall, Mathew Johnson had full control over his body and looked more confident than he did in high school.

"No problem," her uncle spoke making her turn his attention back to him. "Okay everyone. For those who are here, thank you for holding up well, and deciding to help with us. We, as in the bakery employees and I; well, what's left of us anyways, have decided that we should try to find out what's going on and try to keep everyone else safe so if something like this happens ever again, we are prepared and guarded."

Ryne took over after. "As you all know, we only have Fred who had saw what was out there, but only for a few seconds. He thinks that he saw something from the mountains and-"

"I'm not thinking: I know." Fred interrupted. "If you're not going to trust me just because I'm always making pranks around town, I'd be glad to walk away now. I'm damn sure that I saw the storm come from the mountains. There's no need for me to joke about the mountains and risk people's life. Specially not mine if I'm going to come along." He looked angry, but deep down, Grace was able to see a swirl of emotions inside his eyes to know that he wasn't lying. He's not the same Fred of the NorthWood Town. Whatever he saw definitely spooked him out. And Grace had a feeling that he wasn't saying all the truth.

"Alright," Ryne continued, moving a few strands of hair from her blonde bun away from her dark brown eyes. "The storm came from the mountains. What we're trying to say is that, if it came from the mountains, then we need to check on it more. That's why Malick has decided to form a team to go with him to the mountains."

There were a few gasps around the shop. Few women had their hands covering their mouth as some men looked around for other's reactions, frowning. Grace was shocked. And then anger surfaced itself.

"What do you mean that he's going to go to the mountains?" She questioned glaring at her uncle.

"I mean what I mean."

"I know what you mean." She glared at Ryne before focusing her scowl on her uncle. "What do you think you're doing, uncle? Have you lost your mind?! The mountains?!" She had her arms flying in front of her as she tried to kick some sense into the old man. "You're the one taught me everything about that mountain, you know what we've been told about the mountains, and you're still going to climb up? Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but the lives of those in this 'team' you're talking about as well."

Malick brought up a hand. "I know what I'm getting myself into Grace, and I don't care. I have talked about this with my wife as well, and it's well decided. No change." He paused. "And for those who are in the team, it's their choice to come or not. They're putting their lives in danger at their own risk."

"I wouldn't go against uncle's decisions if I was you." A voice interrupted. Grace hesitated for a second when she realized that it was Mathew who had spoken up. She should've known it when he'd called her uncle as his. Even if they weren't blood related, Malick was always very fond of Mathew from the start. Grace couldn't help but find her voice raising to cut the man's thoughts off. How dare he talk about her uncle as if he'd known him his whole life?

"It doesn't matter," said Charlotte. "It's too dangerous for him no matter what. I'm with Grace on this." Grace had almost forgotten that she was there with them.

She ignored them and stepped forward to her uncle, lowering her voice. "You can't go, I won't allow it."

"Let's not forget the fake leg…" Charlotte added to which Malick glared at her.

Grace looked at him with pleading eyes. "You don't get it uncle. I just lost my father, I'm not going to lose you too. You're the only dad I have left."

His eyes soften and she thought that he'd finally understands. "I'm sorry love, you're also the only daughter figure to me. I love you as my own daughter. But, if I have to keep you safe, that also means, I have to find out about this."

Grace let her shoulders slump in defeat. She hugged herself and sent daggers at the floor in front of her feet, quieting down.

"Alright then," Ryne continued. "Let's get the team together. Like Malick said, you're not forced into it. If you want to go along with Malick, Fred and Lucas, step forward and call out your name, so we can tick you off."

There was a long silence and no one spoke. No one expected too. Just the idea of talking about the mountains scared the town people, now to go and explore it, risking lives?

"Jude Collin." A young voice spoke through the crowd. Grace looked up to find the owner of the voice. Who's that stupid boy? He was a young high schooler, probably in his last year. Another few gasps erupted around the store. The old man frowned.

"Are you sure?" Malick asked. Finally, he was doubting his decision. "Just because no one is-"

"It's not because of that," Jude reasoned. "I lost my friends and family that night, and as if it's their fault, the others are crying over it. I don't want that to happen to the rest of us. Plus, I want to know the reason for the thing that took out the whole world. I need to anyways." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Jude," a high pitched voice called him out. "It's not that simple. We're talking about the mountains. Stop being so brave and step down, you've just turned eighteen."

He glared at the girl and if looks could kill, she would've burst into flames by now. "At least I'm not cowering back."

The girl glared back before sighing. "Fine then." She took a step forward, "Anne Moree."

There were a few whispers going around by now.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucas asked Anne. "You both can't go, it's not safe. Be more mature. And Jude, you just lost your parents, I don't think that you should come along."

"You can't tell me what to do," Jude frowned at Lucas. "No matter your age, you know that."

Lucas ignored Jude and turned to Anne, "At least consider my thoughts."

She gave out a shrug as well; what's with teenagers and the shrugging? Grace thought whining in her head, realizing that her uncle was going to go no matter the tantrum she held.

There was an unknown silence for a few seconds as Anne, Jude and Grace's uncle glared towards each other.

"If Jude's not backing down, then I'm not too. Wherever he goes, I go too. And I also feel like I should do something to make the dead happy. At least, I would have tried to make their death meaningful."

Grace shook her head, finally deciding on what to do.

She stepping forward ignoring Fred's glances.

"Grace Walter."